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J. R. RICKEUS. DUAL EUEL FEED SYSTEM EGEL LLLTERNEL coMBusLom ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, I9I1.

A'lll/1.

Y ed to hold relatively large quantities of thel JAMES R. RIGKETTS, 0F LONG BEACH, CLIFORNA..

DUAL FUEL-FEED SYSTEM FOR INTERNALCMBUSTION ENGINES.

Lassen.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8,19%).

Application filed Merch 21917. Serial No. 153,480.

To all 'whom t may Concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES R. Rionm'rs, a Citizen ofthe United States, residing at Long' Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof California, have invented new and useful improvement in Dua-l Fuel-Feed Systems for Intern:tl-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to internal oornbustion engines and particularly to means for sul'nilying the 'fue-l thereto, the primary ohject being to provide means whereby two different grades of fuel may he used selec.- t-ively for opereting the engine. Another object is to provide means for feeding the different grades of fuel to the int-alie of the engine in such n manner that a high grade fuel. such as commercial gasolene nia-y he used Jt'or operatii'ig the engine as a preliniinary fuel i'or starting purposes, or for other special occasions, and whereby a low grade tuel, such as engine distillate, may he used for operating the enginev after the cylinders and operating; parts have become thoroughly heated to an extent whereby the vaporization of the low. grade fuel may he quickly accomplished.

Another object is to provide nieans for Storing the two cliierent grades yoit fuel on the vehicle for use, such means being adaptlov.' grade fuel and small quantities of the high grado iuel, inasinuh as onlya rela tively small quantity of the high grade. ruel is necessary for startingapurposes. as will hereinafter appear from the description.

Another ohiect is to provide means whereiiy one or the other grades of fue] may ,he supplied to the engine hy Ygravity and the other by 1essure,'and for connecting the two supply systems in suoli a manner that it will he impossible to mix the two grades of fuel, or, that the supply of one grade will interfere with the supply of the other.

Another object is to provide refndating1 ineans in the `fuel supply lines which has a common connection with the fuel intale of the engine for admitting the fuel thereto, und separate connections with the individual :tuel supply lines leading from the iuel storage. means.

Another object is to provide means at the point of junction of the fuel supply lines whereby it will he impossibleA for the fuel from one line to enter the other line, thus rendering the system safe and free from trouble which might result in the event of the mixture of the two grades of tuel. Other objects will appear as the description progresses.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a sectional elevation of a welldniown type of automobile showing my improved system installed thereon for use. Fig. is an end elevation of my improved fuel regulating valve which is connected in. the manner shown to hot-h fuel supply lines. Fig'. 3 is a sect-ion of the valve on the line of' Fig. l; Fig. is a. section of the. saine on the .line M ot Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section of the saine on the line of Fig. i3; Fig. 6 section of the same on the. line 6-6 of Fig. 3, and Fig. is a section of the saine on the line 7%( of Fig. 2.

Similar characters 0i" reference are ein ployed throughout the several views oli the drawings and in the specific. tions for indicating the saine or like parts.

rllhe type of anton'iohile sho-wn in Fig. l and other types of vehicles are provided with ar main fuel storage tank l, which in this ease is supported at the rear of th. vehicle and is suitably attaohed to th vehicle frame at a". point below ,the pla-ne of the carburetor 2 of the engine or motor 3 at the front of the vehicle.v The fuel roin this tank is fed to the oarhureter through a tube which is extended downwardly into the tank to a point near the bottoni, as shown in Fig. l, and. the forward end thereot' is in eoi'nln-uniration with a regulating valve of my improved design, suoli as shown in Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive. The fuel from the tank l is forced through the tube ffl by means of air pressure in the tanlsupplied hy means of a small hand pump 6 supported on the vehicle. steering column which is connected with the tank l by means of a tube 8.

provide an additional fuel tank 9 at the front of the vehicle. or at any other suitable point. ibut preferably above the plane of the nihliieter '2 ported in the cowl of the dash l0 and is connected with the valve 5 by means oi2 a tube l1. The valve 5 is connected with the `carbureter 2 hy means of a short tuhe l2 which is inserted in the end of the valve. The tank l, stated, holds e supply o' fuel,

preferably of high gra-lieto conform to te and the valve 5, which is sup# lti , may

requirements of this invention, and the tank 9 holds a supply of low grade fuel which is adapted to be fed to the carbureter by gravity through the tube 11.

It is to be understood that some modern types of vehicles are equipped with the pressure tank and pressure supply pump and connections as described, 'but in the 'case of other types which have not this equipf --ment the same maybe readily added for the 'the ends of thetubes 4 and 11. The ends of these tubes communicate with smaller bores 15 and 14whieh are in transverse aline-` ment but do not communicate with each other. Vertical bores 16 and 17V are formed inthe valve 5 which are slightly larger than the horizontal bores 14 and I5 and communicate therewith, as

shown-:ing- Figs. 3 and 6.

The upper ends of the boresl'land 17 are threaded to receive/the plugs 18' and 19'.

which form closuresfor the bores andare 'of such. form that they may be turned by a suitable implement for firmly seating them inthebores.

A horizontal bore" 2U is 'formed in the valve 5 at a poiut'slightly above the center thereof and isigf'such sizeI that the periphery thereof will cut the peripheries of the vertical 'libres 16' land 1'? and thus provide ports 23 therebetween such as are shown in Fig. 6 te permit/the passage of the fuelfrom the storage tanks to the tube 12 which is suitably threaded into the open end of the bore 20, the' opposite end thereof being closed as shovvn in Fig. 4.

"Ball check valve elements 21 and 22 are i' loosely seated, respectively, in the vertical bores 16 and '17 s0 as to close the ports between these bores and the horizontal bores 14 and 15, as shown in Figs.' 3, 4 and 6, the pressure of the fuel against the lower portions of the balls, in either case, serving to raide'the balls in their respective bores to pcnts 'above the ports 23thus permitting the passage o f either of the fuels from the tubes if and 11 and the bores 14 and 15 to pass upwardly through the vertical bores 16 and 17 and ports 23 to tlie horizontal bore 20 and thence through the tube 12 5to the carbureten2.

, It'yvill be noted that the normal positions of the balls lwhen theyfare seated in the conimumcating ports between' the bores 16-#17 and 1li-15de substantially below the plane of the bore 2Qwhich communicates with the fuel is being supv vthe gravity tank 9 will be permitted to enter the carburetor. 'Likewise for the same reason and in the same manner, when fuel is being fed to the engine from the tank 9 by gravity pressure, a suiiicient pressure will be applied to the Iball 22 to prevent the admission of the fuel from tank 1 to the engine.

As previously` stated, the gravity tank which holds the lowgrade fuel, as at 9, should be the larger of the tivo tanks, if the dimensions of the vehicle permit, for the greater amount of the low grade fuel will be'used in the operation of the engine, and fuel is withdrawn from the pressure tank'l onlywhen necessary for starting the motor or when an excessive load on the engine renderen higher grade of fuel necessary for the best results.'

Usually only'a few operations of the hand pump 6 is necessary to provide lsuilieient pressure in thetank 1 for supplying the fuel ther-ehem to theengine, as, all of the tubes which lead to and connect vvith the engine'and carbureter are of relatively small diameter and the rise therein is very smalll It will-beobvious from the foregoing de seription of my invention that the operation of the elements constituting my improved fuel lfeed s stem is extremely simple and efficient an provides for economy andA fa.- cility in operation of the motor.

am aware that the use of both gravity and pressure tanks and supply means for motor vehicles isv old-and I do not claim invention therefor, but l am not aware that the use of these elements with the connections shown and for the purpose described has ever before been used or known.

It should be understood in the consideration of this invention that the system is only adapted for use inv connection with engines provided ,-With' earbureters which have valves at the entrance to the float ehamber, so that the end of the pipe 12 may be closed when the float chamber is filled, thus caus' a pressure a ainst the upper portion ldlthey ball checlrgvalves 21 and 22; for otherwise, the ipe 12, both grades of fuel would be fed rough the valve 5 simultaneously and thus defeat the objects of the invention.

It will be further understood that when the pressure in the pressure tan'k ,1 and the tube 4 leading therefrom rises to a point if there were no back pressure in greater than the gravity pressure in the tube l1 leading from the tank 9, the excessive pressure in tube 4: will counteract that inl tube 11 and acting against the ball check valve connected with the tube 11, will serve to close the tube 11 and prevent the passage of the low grade fuel from tank 9 to the carbureter. Also,` when it is desired to feed -the low grade fuel to the carbureter from tank 9 it is necessary to reduce the pressure in the tank I1 and tube 4: to the minimum, which may be accomplished by an ordinary valve usually providedin pressure supply systems, thus releasing the counteracting pressure against the check valve connected with tube 11 and permitting the passage of the low grade fuel to the carbureter through valve 5 and tube lf2. It i's obvious that the tank 9 may be tilltid through and by means of an ordinary lilling ca p extending through the dash of the vehicle, the cap being provided with a suitable air vent so as to insure the discharge of the fuel there from by gravity, and the tank 9 thus being.

open to the atmosphere.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let` ters Patent, is;

1. l dual vfuel feed ksystem for internal combustion engines comprising sepa ate gravity and pressure fuel tanks, a carbureter, and automatic valve means intermediate of said tanks and said carbureter. whereby either of said fuels may bc selectively supplied to said carbureter.

2. A dual fuel feed system for internal combustion engines comprising separate gravity and pressure fuel tanks, a carburetor, a common connection lfor said tanks leading to said carburetor, and automatic valve means interniediate of said connection and said tanks for selectively regulating the passage of the fuel therethrough to said carburetcr.

3. A dual fuel feed system for an internal combustion engine, comprising separate gravity and pressure fuel tanks` a carburetor connected with the fuel intake of the engine, automatic valve means having a single connect-ion with'said carbureter, and separate connections with said tanks whereby either of the fuels may be supplied selectively to said carburetor.

l. A dual fuel feed system combustion engines comprising an engine having a carbureter attached thereto, combined gravity and pressure actuated valve means exterior of said carburetor and confor internal nectcd therewith, a gravity fuel tankconnected with said valve means, and a pr s sure fuel tank also connected therewith, nu

dependently of said gravity tank, said valve of and connected with both of said tanks, a.

pair of independently and automatically o p erable valves therein, and independent connections between said valves and .sa-itl 6. In a device of the character described, the combination of an engine4 and a fuel intake therefor, a gravity tank and a pressure feed fueltank, a pipe leading from each said tanks to the vicinity of the engine, a valve body connected with said pipes and with the fuel intake of the said engine and having a chamber therein connected respectively vvit-h said pipes, and a valve in cach of said chambers to permit the selective use of the fuels.

7. ln a device of the character described, L

the combination of an engine and a fuel intake therefor, a gravity tank and a pressure feed fuel tank, a fuel actuated duplex checlr valve communicating with each of said tanks and ar anged .for independently regulating the passage ofthe fuel therefrom to the intake of the engine for preventing the mirture of said fuels, and means for connecting said valve with said fuel intake.

S. In a device of the character described, il

the combination of an engine and aV fuel in take therefor, a gravity tank and a pres sure fuel tank. a carbureter connected 'with' the fuel intake, a pipe leading from each of said tanks to the vicinity of said carbureter,

a pipe leading from said carbureter to the vicinity of the ends of said other pipes, a valve body connected With all of said pipes, and independent valve means therein Imierable by the flow of the fuel therethrough for permitting the selective use of the fuels from 

